Record-breaking temperatures forecasted in southern parts of Australia this week

A couple shade themselves from the sun under an umbrella on a hot day in Sydney November 20, 2009.
Reuters/Tim Wimborne

Southern parts of Australia will continue to face record-breaking temperatures this week. Extreme heat has been felt, with 34 degrees Celsius recorded in Adelaide on Sunday, 35C forecast for Monday and 33C on Tuesday.

Bureau of Meteorology duty forecaster Matt Bass said that if today and Tuesday would record 33C, it would be the first time Adelaide has recorded three days in a row above 33 degrees this month. The odds of heat records being set are higher due to climate change.

"Basically we are looking at significant temperatures above average for April across South Australia, southern New South Wales and Victoria in the coming days," the ABC reports Bass as saying. He added that the heatwave would test records across the border, with Victoria and parts of New South Wales set to see soaring temperatures.

According to Bass, they are forecasting that potentially huge parts of Victoria, the south-east of South Australia and southern New South Wales could reach record maximum temperatures for this month. But a cool change is expected to start on Wednesday.

"The heat will hang around on the south-east of the country through until about Friday," Bass said. He added that a cool change heading across from Wednesday in South Australia can be expected, and it should reach southern New South Wales by Saturday.

The Bureau of Meteorology issued a fire warning for parts of South Australia on Monday. Firefighters were still on high alert as they continued to monitor a fire in the Inman Valley on the Fleurieu Peninsula. Crews were at the scene overnight.

The warm weather is due to a high-pressure system bringing a mass of hot air to the south-eastern states. Weatherzone has confirmed that the blissful conditions will stick around for the rest of the week. Weatherzone meteorologist Craig McIntosh said that parts of South Australia are in the midst of a late-season low-intensity heatwave.

9 News reports McIntosh as saying that the heat will remain for several parts of southern Australia, SA, NSW and the ACT in particular, well into this coming week.

Meanwhile, Sydneysiders can expect a cooler change on Tuesday with a top of 25 degrees forecasted. The rest of the week will see temperatures nudge 30 degrees. Sydney’s west will be slightly warmer at 32 degrees on the weekend. Meanwhile, the weather remains mostly sunny and dry for the Commonwealth Games in Queensland.